Steve Lodder: 2 Sorts Of 3
Pianist Steve Lodder has been a respected figure in jazz for some time, closely linked to Andy Sheppard in earlier days, but playing in a wide range of settings, from Maggie Nichols to Ernestine Anderson, District Six to George Russell’s Orchestra, and now a regular mainstay of Alison Rayner’s band. Despite being such a prolific player, he’s made very few recordings under his own name.
As an educator, Lodder has written books about pianos and keyboards, and the music here is specifically for either acoustic or electric forms. The title refers to two separate trio projects, Unplugged and Plugged. For these he uses a Yamaha acoustic and a Rhodes Mk8 respectively.
I must admit to not being a great fan of electric pianos – there are exceptions, but the reverb, echo and fuzzy sound often put me off. Inevitably there are tracks here that have those qualities, mainly the uptempo ones, and at times the sound is cluttered, especially with an underscore of voluminous density. However, the sustained fusion of sound can be effective, as on the slower Dip Blue Deep Green and The World Slips By, which has also more precision and distinct tones. Interestingly, the hook on Komodo’s Kimono has a feel of Bronislaw Kaper’s composition Invitation.
The acoustic trio numbers also vary in tempo but I found them more rewarding, from the punchy and full-sounding No Smoking In The Aisles and Sand Twixt Toes to the balladic Ridges And Slopes. Lodder’s playing moves seamlessly to alter the mood and emotion and this is evident on Elephant In A Teashop In Paris.
Down On Mudchute Farm is a departure, as Lodder slides into a walking blues with Mose Allison-like embellishments behind Freddie Jensen’s bass solo – the Thames’ Mudchute replacing the Mississippi Bayou. The album ends with Out Of The Water, a slow tango, warm and flowing but disappointingly brief.
The supporting musicians are an integral part of the music and familiar and long-term associates are used. Dudley Phillips’ electric bass seems to be more assertive and have greater dominance compared to the softer, sonorous tone of Jensen’s acoustic double bass, whilst Nic France’s cymbal work and chattering snare stand out, at times metronomic in contrast to the fuller range of Marius Rodrigues.
An imaginative mixture of textures, tones and moods, demonstrating the distinctive approaches of Lodder.
Discography
(1) Onto The Water; (2) No Smoking In The Aisle; (1) Komodo’s Kimono; Dip Blue Deep Green; (2) Sand Twixt Toes; Ridges And Slopes; (1) Ready The Lifeboats!; (2) Elephant In A Teashop In Paris; Down On Mudchute Farm; (1) Red Sails Creek; The World Slips By; (2) Out Of The Water (66.14)
(1) Plugged Trio: Lodder (Rhodes Mk8); Dudley Phillips (elb, acoustic bg); Nic France (d).
(2) Unplugged Trio: Lodder (Yamaha acoustic piano); Freddie Jensen (b); Marius Rodrigues (d). London, September & October 2024.
Sleeve Records SLV5020
Sara Colman & Rebecca Nash: Ribbons Vol. 1
A longstanding bond between vocalist Sara Colman and pianist Rebecca Nash has developed from their association at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and playing together in the city’s Jewellery Quarter, and this is evidenced in an album of original and personal compositions. They are joined by several musicians who add to the ambience and are well suited, beginning with the warm contribution from Iain Bellamy’s tenor on the opening number, Noble Heart.
Some of the tracks are linked: Ribbons Prologue with Ribbons, and Gardener with Gardener Epilogue – extensions of their themes, segueing into one another. Percy Pursglove’s flugelhorn weaves in and out of the melody effectively on Ribbons; Jonathan Silk’s drums and Bellamy, again, are featured on the more forthright Gardener. Trish Clowes takes over tenor duties on Little Light and creates a lush bed of sound to complement the attractive melody, whilst Sophie’s Song is an extended feature for Nash, as is her engaging solo on Goodbye, Henrik Jensen providing a bowed accompaniment.
There’s much to recommend this album, especially the arrangements, the only reservation being the vocals which I found slightly difficult to follow at times. Whether this is the result of flattened notes, enunciation or simply recording level, I can’t decide.
Discography
Noble Heart; Turning Over Stones; Ribbons Prologue; Ribbons; Gardener; Gardener Epilogue; Little Light; Sophie’s Song; Night Traveller; Goodbye (45.36)
Colman (v); Percy Pursglove (flh); Iain Bellamy, Trish Clowes (ts); Ruth Hammond (bcl); Steve Banks (g); Nash (p); Henrik Jensen (b); Jonathan Silk (d). Birmingham, 2021-2024.
Stoney Lane SLR1885
Tim Richards Trio: Four Aces
Not before time, here’s a release from pianist Tim Richards, who came to people’s attention in Spirit Level, during the 80s and 90s. Since then he’s been engrossed in music academia and education, writing piano study books and occasionally recording and playing.
This latest album shows his admiration for the compositions and influence of certain musicians and the trio’s renditions of McCoy Tyner’s Atlantis and Kenny Barron’s Sunshower are real gems. The playing is kept in a melodic and harmonic framework that contains but doesn’t restrict the improvisation: expression and imagination flourish. Richards’ originals are an indication of his total engagement in this style, as shown in both the title track, Four Aces, and Metaphysics. These are great mixtures of forceful, direct modern jazz with just enough changes and elements of quirkiness.
In bassist Alex Keen and drummer Daniel Howard he has musicians who seem to be in perfect harmony with him, Keen more than ready to lead in driving the rhythm and supporting Richards’ excursions. Howard has a particular feel for the more Latin forms, as on Jobim’s Wave, Hampton Hawes’ Sonora and the leader’s own Pandeiro, as well as on the energetic Free Spirits (composed by John Stubblefield, not Mary Lou Williams as attributed, although performed by her trio on the SteepleChase album of the same name).
This is an impressively enjoyable collection of music and a journey to Sunday sessions at the Old Library Bar at New Cross would be well worth making whilst the trio are regulars there. It’s also reassuring to those of us who remember jazz from the heady days of Chris Wellard’s Jazz & Blues Shop and regular live sessions at the New Cross House, that there’s still good music being produced in that area of London.
Discography
Four Aces; Metaphysics; Atlantis; Wave; Sunshower; Free Spirits; Pandeiro; Sonora; Solar; Lover Man; Island Hopping; New Cross Blues. (56.03)
Richards (p); Alex Keen (b); Daniel Howard (d). London, September 2024 & July 2025.
Future Music Records FMRCD730-0925
